Twisted Charm Quilt

I love a good plan. I don’t always follow my plans, but I love to have them. They give me a way to focus my energy on the step at hand. Otherwise, I’d be like a squirrel chasing leaves instead of gathering nuts.

My plan for this quilt was this…1 charm pack of 42 beautiful prints and solids each deserving of their own special place….Set in a grid of 6 x 7 squares with a 1″ sashing and two borders.

For an added bit of interest, I gave them a little twist. Every other block is twisted twice. Thus, the center of the quilt requires 2 sets of blocks…21 of each. These blocks finish at 6″ square, or 6 ½” before they are sewn into the top.

I also put tiny twisted blocks in the corners of the outer border. This is the third kind of block you will need to make. You make 4 of these. To make these blocks you need to hold onto your scraps. DO NOT CHUCK THEM when you trim the charms for the double twist blocks.

Open the charm pack and put every other patch of fabric in a different pile. Go through the whole pack until you have 2 piles of 21 patches. This will put approximately half of each color way in each pile.

Cutting Directions:

Block A – Single Twist

From black

cut 3 5″ width of fabric (wof) strips

cut each wof strip into 14 3″ pieces

you should have 42, 3″x5″ rectangles

sub-cut each rectangle once on the diagonal for a total of 84 triangles.

If you are using a patterned fabric for the background DO NOT LAYER YOUR RECTANGLES WITH LIKE SIDES TOGETHER WHEN YOU CUT THEM. This will result in half of the triangles leaning the wrong direction. The resulting blocks will look like the icons on your i-phone when you start to move one. Check out my sample blocks…The difference is subtle. Look at the long and short edges of the triangles and how they relate to the center. These blocks are NOT the same. If put together in a quilt I believe they would seem to be jumping and turning all over the place. If both sides of your fabric are the same (like in a Bella solid) this isn’t an issue.

From charm pack

21 5″x5″ patches

Block B – Double Twist

From white

cut 3, 5″ wof strips

cut each wof strip into 14 3″ pieces

you should have 42, 3″x5″ rectangles

sub-cut each rectangle once on the diagonal for a total of 84 triangles. *Mind the warning in block A

SAVE the rest of the black and black/white bits for use in the inner border corner stones.

Inner Border

From bits saved in step 4.2.5.

cut 4, 1 ½” squares

From inner border fabric

cut 5, 1 ½” x wof strips

Outer Border

From white

cut 5, 4 ½” x wof strips

Binding

Cut 6, 2 ½” wof strips

Time for a break. If you have completed all of this cutting and prepping, the rest of the quilt should go together easily. (I made mine at a retreat, in about 6 hours of dedicated sewing. )

Piecing Directions:

Block A – Single Twist

The goal is to make 21 blocks like this one. They will each have a different center.

Align a black triangle with the stubby angle 1/4″ over the edge of a 5″ charm and the pointy angle 1/2″ over the parallel edge.

Sew 1/4″ seam along the long black edge. If you are careful not to stretch the fabric, you don’t have to pin.

I’ve noticed that when using a machine with a 1/4″ foot, I can align my needle at the intersection of the two pieces and edge of the fabric right next to the flange of the foot and everything comes out where it should. The seam will start and stop at where the edges of the fabric intersect.

Iron the seam toward the black.

Repeat on next side, 3 times until all four sides are added.

Trim to 6 1/2″ square. Really. Do this. I sized the pieces so that they would be big – to make the piecing easier. If you don’t trim them it won’t work right.

If you have a 6 1/2″ trimming square center the center so that as close to 1/4″ of black is between the points and the edge.

It is fine if it isn’t perfect. Even if you sew a corner into the seam allowance when you piece the blocks together it will still look square. The blocks are set in black – your eyes will fill in any corners that are missing.

Make 21.

Block B – Double Twist

The goal, again, is 21 blocks.

These will each have a different center and two twists.

Add the black triangle to the trimmed charm in the same manner that you added them to the whole charm for Block A.

Trim blocks to 5″ squares.

Add the white triangles just like you did the black ones in Block A.

Iron towards the white.

Trim to 6 1/2″ squares.

Make 21.

Block C – Tiny Double Twists

This block is the corner stone for the outer most border.

Yeah, you make these just like you made blocks A and B…only the pieces are smaller and you start with the white triangles next to the center block.

After adding the first twist (white) trim the block to 3 1/2″ square.

After adding the second twist (black) trim the block to 4 1/2″ square.

Make 4.

Center

Arrange blocks in a grid 6 blocks by 7 blocks alternating every other block.

NOTE: to my OCD friends this quilt does not come out even. If you are really OCD you have already noticed this, and probably chosen not to make it…or you have altered the pattern. If you aren’t then you are doing it right if only the corner blocks on one side match.

Step away from your arrangement and see if you still like it. If you can’t get very far from it try taking a quick photograph of it with your cell phone. Look at the picture to see if the distribution of colors pleases you.

If you have a design wall this is a good time to use it. If you don’t there are other options. You can put them on the floor or lay them on a bed. You can close the drapes and pin your blocks to them. Or use the shower curtain. Use your imagination.

You can also just wing it. Random is good – but I haven’t met many people who are actually happy with random.

Vertical Sashing

Once you are happy with the layout sew a black “stick” to the right side of the first 5 blocks in each row.

My brief bio -A transplanted Yankee, and happy Texan Cindy works from her home in North Texas where she lives with her family.She started piecing quilts over 20 years ago and opened her long arm business, Tops to Treasures, in 2006.Since then she has quilted over 1,000 quilts.As a pattern designer, Cindy's goal is to write directions that encourage quilters to grow in their skills, and have fun. Her patterns are based on traditional designs, often with a modern twist.

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